Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1213413
FEBRUARY 2020 I PCB007 MAGAZINE 13 1. Extending automation with improved pro- cess control and intelligent use of produc- tion data, including automatic cleaning cycles, dosing systems, etc. 2. Process chemical analysis for improved performance, lower chemical use, and im- proved yields, as well as Cu/Fe controller for plating, electroless Cu bath controller, etc. 3. Providing industry communication inter- faces (PROFINET, OPC, SECS/GEM) to connect the metalization line, desmear line, and plating to customer MES-system enabling a smart manufacturing system. 4. Future solutions to minimize downtimes by collecting process and production data, and predictive models can be created and analyzed to prevent future and unsched- uled machine failures. Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs) PLCs, like those produced by Siemens and Allen Bradley, have extensive networking ca- pability. There are at least six to eight open, but proprietary, messaging and protocols used by PLCs, with the Modbus TCP being the most popular and largest installed base. These are used in automation protocols (Figure 3). PWB/IC Equipment Suppliers Another equipment manufacturer, Atotech GmbH of Germany, uses PLC-like software in their computers as their control network [1] . These systems communicate over Ethernet us- ing PROFIBUS, with plans to add EtherCAT. Their protocols engage a smart factory net- work by either SECS/GEM or OPC/OPC-UA. Atotech takes advantage of the smart factory environment to improve efficiency and yields and minimize the total cost of ownership with- out compromising quality through: Figure 2: The ISA-95 architecture is still the preferred hierarchy for implementing automation for Industry 4.0.